Rotary engine.



No. 763,982. PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

J. JAHN, JL- 7 ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIUATION run rm. 5. 1904.

N0 MODEL.

Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JAHN, JR., OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,982, dated July 5, 1904:.

Application filed February 5, 1904. Serial No. 192,221. (No model.)

To all 21/72/0711, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN J AHN, J r., a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Riverside, county of Riverside, and State of California, have invented certain lmprovements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification. reference being had to the drawings annexed, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a motor or engine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken centrally through the blades and the casing. Fig. 3- is a side elevation of the rotative parts, the shell or casing and the gearing being removed;

Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, detail views of parts hereinafter described.

The object of this invention is to provide an extremely simple, durable, and efficient rotary engine which may be operated as a rotary pump or compressor, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

The invention in its preferred form consists of a spherical casing in which is rotatably mounted a centrally-arranged sphere and between the sphere and casing a pair of approximately hemispherical pistons or disks which nicely fit the spherical wall of the casing and the exterior of the central sphere and are arranged out of alinement with each other at opposite sides of the sphere, so that their circular edges or plane surfaces shall bear against each other at one point in their circumference, and thereby form an annular fluid-chamber extending entirely around and within the casing and tapering in opposite directions from a point opposite the point of contact of said plane surfaces, and a series of radial blades or partitions extending across the said annular space formed between said pistons and dividing the same into fluid-compartments, and a suitable shaft or shafts centrally attached to the hemispherical pistons and journaled in the casing, whereby when a suitable motive fluid is admitted into the peculiarly-shaped fluid-chamber the pressure of the fluid upon said faces or plane surfaces of the hemispherical pistons and the blades will impart a continuous rotary movement to the hemispherical pistons and carry with them the blades, thereby transmitting said motion of the hemispherical pistons to the shaft or shafts. When the device is used as a pump or an air-compressor, power is applied to one or both of said shafts, and as the parts rotate the fluid is drawn in at one side of the motor and forced out at the opposite side or some other convenient point, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Referring to the drawings by letters, a designates the spherical casing, which may be suitably supported and maybe constructed of two or more parts separably fastened together for convenience.

The letter 6 designates the two approximately hemispherical pistons inclosed within the casing and having their convex surfaces, especially the parts thereof next the fluidchamber, nicely fitting the same, these pistons being attached centrally to shafts c, journaled in the casing. These pistons may each be' made in one piece or of more pieces fastened together for convenience, strength, and stability. The shafts are journaled at an angle to each other, so that their axial lines shall intersect at the center of the casing, whereby the hemispherical pistons shall lie at an angle to each other out of alinement. Supported within and nicely fitting the concavities in the said hemispherical pistons is the rotatable sphere (Z, which is shown as an independent element, but which may be integral with one of the pistons, the other of said pistons only being provided with a concavity to receive said part, and resting loosely on this sphere or part and slidable thereon are a series of radial segmental blades or partitions 6, whose outer edges are curved so as to fit nicely against the interior of the casing and whose inner edges are curved to nicely lit the surface of the central sphere or part.

The adjacent faces or edges (Z of the hemispherical pistonsb are beveled off outwardly, so that they may fit and bear against each other at one point in their circumference, this point being designated in the drawings by the letter (Z and being equidistant from the two shafts 0 0. Said line of contact, however, may intersect the inner periphery of the casing at any point in its circumference. The outer end of each of the shafts is provided with a bevel-gear (Z intermeshing with other bevelgears cl, mounted on the independent shaft (6, which latter shaft may be provided with a band or other wheel from which power may be taken off or by which it may be applied, or the bevel-faces of the pistons may be provided with bevel-teeth or other intermeshing projections in order that the two pistons shall always rotate in unison. One side edge of each of said blades or partitions Z) is hinged to the bevel-face (Z of either of the pistons or upon both pistons alternately or otherwise, as may be most convenient. They are here shown as hinged alternately first to one piston then the other, the hinge, as here shown, consisting of a cylindrical head or enlargement Z)" on one side edge of the blade, which fits into a suitable recess in the piston and has a rocking motion therein. Coincident with each hinge or recess for same on the piston the piston opposite is provided with a radial slotf, into which the free side edges of the blade extend and work as the pistons revolve, each of these slots being of a width to nicely lit the blades at their outer edges and being widened into a dovetail or conical shape in the direction of their depth, so that as the pistons revolve the blades may slide freely in and out of the slots and permit the bevel-faces d to assume varying angles to the blades as the latter move away from or approach the point of contact d.

It is understood that packings, stuffingboxes, and ball-bearings are to be used wherever found. desirable.

1f steam or other motive fluid be admitted to the fluid-chamber at one side of the contactpoint d, the pressure against the inclined faces of the pistons and the partitions will cause the pistons to rotate, and as each partition passes the inlet-port the motive fluid will be cut'ofl' from the preceding compartment and (when the fluid is of an expansive nature) allowed to work by expansion alone or (when of an inexpansive nature) by momentum until exhausted or forced out. It will be seen that the fluid-chamber always remains of the same cubic area and formation, while the cubic area of each of the compartments as the pistons rotate is constantly increasing until a point in said compartment midway between the partitions is directly opposite the division-line d, at which point the exhaust begins to take place.

It is obvious that any suitable arrangement of ports may be employed, one possible arrangement being illustrated in Fig. 2. By closing valves 2 3 4L and opening valves 5, 6, and. 7 and adjusting the three-way valve 1, so that the motive fluid will enter the engine through port g, the steam or other fluid will enter the fluid-chamber just to the left of the contact-point (Z and cause the pistons to revolve, the main exhaust taking place through valve 5 and the auxiliary exhaust through valves 6 and 7 these latter outlets being simply to prevent compression of any of the motive fluid that may remain in the compartments after the rear partition of each compartment passes the main-exhaust point, it being obvious that a free outlet must be provided for each of the compartments during the period it is decreasing in size-that is, while it is moving toward the point (Z. To reverse the motor, it is simply necessary to adjust valve 1 so as to direct the motive fluid through port g into the engine in the right side of the contact-point d, close valves 5, 6, and 7 and open valves 2, 3, and 4. hen used as an air-compressor or pump, the fluid may be supplied through any one or all of the ports controlled by valves 1, 2, 3, and 4:, and upon power being applied to one or both of the shafts the fluid will be discharged through ports controlled by valves 5, 6, and 7, or 6 and 7, or 7 alone, as may be desired, as is obvious.

It is of course understood that any other suitable arrangement of valves and portsmay be used to adapt the apparatus for use as either a reversible or non-reversible engine or compressor or pump and that therefore the arrangement I have shown is only suggestive of the many arrangements 1 may finally adopt. It is further obvious that the power may be taken off from or applied to one or both the shafts. When but one shaft is to be used as a power-shaft, the other one may simply be a stub-shaft stepped in a bearing formed in or secured to the interior wall of the casing and need not extend out through the same. It is obvious that many other changes in the construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention in the least, and I may state that I have in mind a number of modifications and minor changes that may be resorted to to render the apparatus particularly suitable to special uses, and especially with regard to rendering it reversible as well as convertible. As the greatest power is exerted upon the bevel-faces of the pistons and the blades upon their outer edges and but little upon their inner surfaces, it is desirable to have the cen tral element of a large diameter. It is also to be understood that two or more engines may be united to form a battery, each either taking its power directly from the same source or utilizing the exhaust from one in the other or the one next.

Each of the blades 6 may beconstructed of a single piece, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or each blade may be divided longitudinally and diagonally, as shown in Figs. i, 5, 6, and7, the two inclined faces being adapted to slide upon each other, and thereby render the blades expansible radially, the two outside surfaces of the blades remaining at all times parallel with each other. By thus dividing each blade and inclosing between the two parts one or more springs I) the parts will be normally forced edgewisely apart, so as to press against the surface of the ball and the interior of the casing, and thereby take up the wear and maintain steam-tight joints. To guide the two sections upon each other, a dowel-pin 7/ is employed, and in order that the cylindrical head shall not be decreased in diameter as the respective edges of the blade parts wear off the division-line 6" through the head portion 72 is run parallel to the sides thereof.

In the mouth of each slot f, where the blade works in it, a pair of radial rocking packing posts or bars f may be mounted for the purpose of forming a steam-tight joint at this point. In order to compensate for wear on the wearing-surfaces of these posts, each post may be formed of a piece of spring metal bent into tubular form, as shown in Fig. 9, the expansive nature of the metal serving to automatically take up the wear of all the wearing-surfaces. To further insure a steam-tight joint, each part of the post may have a slit f 2 formed along its longitudinal edge adjacent to the inclined face (Z of the piston, as shown in Fig. 9, in order that steam may expand into the interior of the sections and expand the same, and the advantage of this form of packing is that the degree of tightness of the packing will be proportional to the pressure in the compartments, as is obvious.

As shown in Fig. 2, one or more supplemental inlet-ports 9 may be formed in the casingbeyond the main port g, and these supplemental ports may be controlled by a slidevalve it, arranged on the exterior of the casing and provided with one or more ports corresponding with said ports g. This slidevalve may be opened and closed by a pinion or by any other suitable means, and the ports and valve and pinion are incased in a suitable valve-casing 7', connected to the inlet-pipe. Each of these supplemental ports is smaller in diameter than the thickness of the blade in order to prevent steam escaping over the top of the blade as the same passes the port. By means of such asupplemental port or ports and valve it is obvious that steam may be admitted in regulated quantities into the power-chamber at different points and into different compartments at the same time, this being desirable especially in starting the engine when there is a load upon the same. The valve need only cover the supplemental ports, as the main port 9' may always remain open and be controlled by the valve in the steampipe; but it is obvious that this supplemental valve may be extended so as to also cover the main port, if desired. It will be obvious also that at least one of these supplemental ports must be located a distance beyond the main port greater than the thickness of the blade in order that when the supplemental ports are opened steam will be admitted into the compartment that has just passed beyond the main port, and thereby supplement the expansive power of the steam that was taken into said compartment While it was passing the main port.

Instead of making each blade of two diagonal parts, as shown and described, it is obvious that wear may be compensated for in any other manner-as, for instance, by a suitable form of spring packing-strips laid in grooves in the inner and outer curved edges of the blades in such manner as to bear resiliently upon the ball and the inner surface of the eas- 1ng.

It willbe obvious that the valve and easing used in connection therewith may be placed also at the right of the contact-line d, as shown in Fig. 2, if a reversible engine is desired. It will be obvious, also, that any two or all the exhaust-ports may be connected up so as to have a common exhaust-pipe and likewise with respect to the inlet-pipes.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a rotary engine, the combination of a pair of rotating disks having abutting conical faces, a casing in which said disks rotate, a

shaft connected to at least one of the disks, a series of blades extending across the fluidchamber between said conical faces, each blade having a pivotal connection to one of said conical faces and having its other end working in a corresponding slot in the conical face of the opposite piston.

52. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing, a pair of rotating disks therein having abutting conical faces, inlet and exhaust ports in the casing, a series of blades extending across the fluid-chamber formed between said conical faces, each blade having a pivotal nonsliding connection to the conical face of one of the pistons and a sliding connection to the conical face of the opposite piston.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing provided with inlet and exhaust ports, a pair of rotating disks therein, having abutting conical faces, a rotatable part supported centrally between said disks, and a series of blades extending across the fluid-chamber between said conical faces and each having a pivotal connection to one of the conical faces and a sliding connection with the opposite piston or disk.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination of a casing, provided with inlet and exhaust ports,

conical abutting faces, a series of blades extending across the fluid-chamber formed between said conical faces, one end of each blade being pivotally connected to one of the disks and the free end working in a slot in the opposite piston, said slot being widened in the direction of its depth, and the slots in each piston alternating with the pivotal connections of the blades.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 26th day of January, 1904.

JOHN JAHN, JR.

WVitnesses:

J. HARVEY ELLIs, LEOTA E. MORGAN. 

